Under the Corrupt Democratic System, the End Justifies the Means

Imran Khan’s assertion that he needs electables to come to power is concrete evidence of the corrupting influence of democracy and the current system. Any system and the ruling elite which presides over it, by design seeks to protect the existing system. This means putting in place measures that put a huge cost on anyone who seeks to destabilize or uproot the current system. Or offering a stake and influence to potential challengers of the status quo only after they agree with the rules and conditions of the current system. But once you agree to play by the rules of the existing system you are part of the system and hence part of the problem.

Political systems operate on legitimacy. What this means is that eventually, no political system can survive without people’s support. Thus political systems and the ruling elite who rule over them seek to refresh people’s support for them by using one means or the other. Back in 2013 when Imran Khan inspired those who generally stay away from politics and who hated the current system into believing in him as an agent of change.

Many naively believed that he was telling the truth. What he was actually doing was offering legitimacy to a system which was dying.

This legitimacy was brought to the system by these young, system-hating segment of the population who abandoned their hatred and dislike for the current system and tampered their hatred for the current ruling elite and agreed to participate in the system on Imran Khan’s encouragement. The system got its legitimacy and Imran Khan got his stake and influence. Now the system is returning the favour and offering Imran the electables he needs to come to power in exchange for the legitimacy he provided to the system.

This is the lesson we must learn. Our choice about our political future is deeply consequential. Our own sincerity alone is not enough, we need awareness when making political choices. Otherwise, our sincerity in itself will be used by the existing system and the ruling elite to prolong its life.

Although many have since abandoned their support for PTI which they have seen as transforming into the party of status quo, no different from PML-N and PPP we must not let this bad experience go in vain and miss the most valuable lesson which is glaringly obvious.

No change can come through the existing system. It cannot be reformed, it cannot be resurrected and it cannot be improved. Democracy has not worked for Pakistan.

In fact, it has not worked for any of the Muslim countries for the simple reason that democracy is not our system. It is a colonial system introduced in our lands by Western colonialists. If anything, conditions of democracy in the West today is an eye opener for anyone who had any false illusions about it being a system of governance worthy to be adopted.

The method of change is to work outside the system for a new system.

We Muslims are blessed with our own system of governance, the Khilafah which has a proven record of bringing prosperity, security and global domination to Muslims for centuries.

Khilafah will be established in Pakistan by political and intellectual struggle and calling upon the Armed Forces of Pakistan to uproot the current system and establish Khilafah in its place.